Complementary Feeding Practices And Nutrition Status Of Children Of Mother-To-Mother Support Groups Participants And Non-Participants In Kakuma, Turkana County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

World Health Organization recommends the formation of Mother-to-Mother Support Groups (MtMSGs) to improve nutrition information for mothers. This strategy has been implemented in Turkana since 2008. With limited research on its contribution to improved complementary feeding practices, this study sought to ascertain if there were significant differences in complementary feeding practices and nutrition status of children 6-23 months of MtMSGs participants and MtMSGs non-participants. The study targeted mothers of children 6 to 23 months of age and their children in 3 locations in Kakuma Division. Systematic random sampling was used to select the 177 MtMSGs participants from Kakuma location and 179 MtMSGs non-participants from Pelekech and Nakalale locations. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-economic, demographic, and complementary feeding practices data. Anthropometric tools were used to measure the length and weight of the children 6-23 months. Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) involving fathers, grandmothers, and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) were also carried out. The data obtained from this study was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Anthropometric data was analyzed using ENA for SMART 2015. Data was presented in figures and tables. Pearson correlation (r), T-test, chi-square, and odds ratio were used to measure associations, relationships, comparisons, and risk associated with being or not being MtMSGs participants, respectively. With a response rate of 94.1% (MtMSGs participant) and 95.2% (MtMSGs non-participants), the results showed 61.0% and 51.4% of the children of MtMSGs participants and MtMSGs non-participants respectively, were still breastfeeding. The results further showed that MtMSGs participants were 1.8 times more likely to introduce complementary foods at 6 months while MtMSGs non-participants introduced foods earlier than 6 months. The odds ratio showed that MtMSGs participants were 1.3 times more likely to continue breastfeeding up to 23 months than MtMSGs non-participants who had an early stoppage (OR= 1.32; P=0.024 CI, 0.97 to 3.938). The mean dietary diversity score was 3.7±1.6 with the majority (61.6%) being in the lower tercile (